The Ruling Class (1972) - Peter O'Toole: 10 great film roles

How did Jack Arnold Alexander Tancred Gurney, the 14th Earl of that name, work
out he was the son of God? “Simple. When I pray to Him, I find I am talking
to myself.” The line comes from Peter Barnes’ caustic 1968 satirical play
The Ruling Class, and O’Toole loved it so much he bought the rights to it.
Four years later, the film came into being with O’Toole as Gurney, a
paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is the second coming of Christ –
until electroshock treatment brings out a significantly grimmer side to his
personality.

The Ruling Class divided critics and was largely rejected by audiences,
although it later resurfaced as a cult item when O’Toole’s popularity was
once again in the ascendant, following the release of The Stunt Man and My
Favourite Year. His performance is (necessarily) completely unhinged; those
piercing blue eyes and ham’s instinct for showmanship made him ideal for a
role few could have carried off. It won him his fifth Academy Award
nomination, although he lost out to Marlon Brando for The Godfather. (Robbie
Collin)